The Steady Earth
by XcrazyXookamiX
Summary: Elysia Redin loved clouds. They helped her so much when those mean men took her. But now, she has finally met her sky; forver, she would reach for him, and forever would her reach be short. She became was addicted to the warmth he and his friends brought. She would fight as hard as she could to protect them, with only the wispy clouds to catch her.
1. Prologue

So. New story. Yeaaah. This is just the prologue, so um, enjoy?

* * *

A sigh escaped her as she gazed dazedly up at the bright blue sky. _It's a beautiful day_, she thought distantly, not really seeing. She just wanted to relax; to enjoy the weather while it lasted because she was sure that rain was going to come soon. Rain that washed away everything, and left her feeling raw and empty. But she couldn't think about it, because _thinking _was dangerous because then she would start to feel and she couldn't _feel_ at all becausethen the images would _explode_ in her head, bright and vivid and _bad_ and she wouldn't be able to escape them because they were going to _drown _her and then she would _reminisce _on those _horrible, awful days_—

_Stop. Breathe. _

She inhaled slowly, her eyes closing to block out the world. But then _the dark man was standing over her and he was sneering and she was trembling—_her eyes snapped open and she focused on a lone cloud, hovering above her. Instinctively, she fell into a meditative state, her thoughts swirling around in a haze, not one idea grasped fully before slipping through her fingers. Her mind was clouded, those wonderfully _dark_ and violent clouds blocking any light from reaching her, but also keeping the _memories_ away. They would swirl around her, every fleeting wisp of a touch burned, _burning away her empathy_, and they would keep her isolated, away from those who cared about her and away from those—_the men that she only remembered _pain _from—_that didn't like her. She _embraced_ the clouds, because they helped her, _protected her when she couldn't even protect herself_, and they were _comforting_. With the clouds she didn't have to pretend, didn't have to _force_ herself to _care_, and she could be as indifferent as she wanted.

The clouds were her sanctuary, _the dragon protecting its hard-earned princess—her little flame of hope—_so she stared at them as they moved languidly across the sky.

* * *

Screaming woke her from her impromptu nap on the school roof. Jerking upwards, heart pumping, she leaned hastily into the fence surrounding the roof, drowning her blank dreams in the need for _action_. A young boy was desperately running from a small group of third-years.

_Bullies_.

She threw open the door and pounded down the stairs. She reached the courtyard where she intended to intercept the young boy in record time. Surveying the grounds, she quickly located the boy, seeing him surrounded by the older boys. Smothering the flash of _too late_ she moved, taking the first boy out with a quick chop to the back of the neck. As he thudded to the ground, the others turned, surprise contorting their face before she took _them_ out too. A few solid knuckle jabs to the area just above the backs of their knees and they landed on the ground, grunting. A punch to a temple, jaw and the back of the neck again assured that they stayed down.

She straightened from the reflexive defensive half-crouch, nodding in satisfaction. She turned to the small boy, who was cowering in a corner. "Oi," She said quietly, kneeling down a few feet away, trying not to scare him. He glanced up at her through the spread of his fingers on his protective hands, covering his face. "My name is Redin Elysia. What's yours?"

His eyes took on a slightly apprehensive sheen as he took in the bodies around them, but he answered the question, "S-Sawada Tsunayoshi."


	2. Chapter 1

This takes places directly where the prologue left of.

* * *

The boy was adorable. The slightly spiked hair was a light shade of brown, as were his eyes; his face was boyish, and Elysia didn't quench the initial surge of affection she felt towards him. One of the things the clouds had allowed her to keep was her love of cute things—whether they were people, animals, or objects.

So the small smile on her face was real, and the Tsunayoshi-kun seemed to gain a little more courage at the fact that she wasn't an ogre or something else scary. He returned the smile weakly, "Thanks for helping me."

"You're welcome." And Elysia was becoming dangerously close to being _attached_ to Tsunayoshi-kun. Before—_before those men with the dark glasses and the ones who always _snarled_ at her_—she had formed attachments easily. And down in Elysia's heart _compassion_ still simmered, the clouds had only charred the uppermost layer, which was both a blessing and a curse. She could still _bleed_. The first person Elysia had felt a connection with in a long time—

_Ah_,_ he's actually the second_.

The actual first was a boy around her age that she hardly spoke to, but he reminded her of her beloved clouds, so she went out of her way to act as _real_ around him as she could. But the clouds didn't stop Elysia then, and they didn't stop her now. Even if they protected her, _she was not the clouds._ They may have swirled about her in an attempt to hide her away, but they had never _forced _Elysia to do anything that she didn't want.

And she wanted to be _friends_ with the Tsunayoshi-kun.

Standing, Elysia extended a hand Tsunayoshi-kun, "Let me help." He allowed her to pull him effortlessly up from the ground. She ignored the reopening wounds in her heart, because sometimes pain was _good_.

Elysia went to brush some dust off his shoulders, but held back at the last second. Just because she wanted to be friends, didn't mean that _he_ did. In an attempt at keeping Tsunayoshi-kun beside her for a little longer, she asked, "Where are you headed next, Tsunayoshi-kun?" The name felt good in her mouth, and she smiled again, unconsciously; it had been such a _long _time since she chosen to freely interact with someone.

"A-ah, well, they cornered me during P.E. so…"

Elysia nodded decisively, "Then I'll walk you back to your class."

He raised his hands up in defense, "You don't have to do that."

"I want to."

_Again. I want to feel what I did when I was with Gramps. Again…_

Tsunayoshi-kun peered at her, as if to see if she were being serious, before reaching the conclusion that she was and nodding tentatively, "O-okay, thanks."

Elysia smiled at him, "Lead the way," gesturing with her hand.

He began to walk, Elysia falling into step beside him. To keep the conversation going, she asked, "What year are you in Tsunayoshi-kun?"

"This is my first year." He glanced at her, "What about…" He faltered, unsure of how to address her. She smiled, "I'm a second year."

He nodded, "Sempai, how did you know I needed help?"

"Ah, well," She looked away, not wanting to hurt his feelings but she had spent such a _long_ time being blunt that she couldn't think of an indirect way, "I heard you scream from the roof."

Tsunayoshi-kun looked stricken, embarrassed, "S-sorry."

Elysia ruffled his hair gently, "I don't mind."

Tsunayoshi-kun blushed, but he smiled again. Then he looked hesitant, "H-how did you learn how to fight like that?"

She repressed the flinch smoothly, plastering a grin on her face, "I just picked some things up here and there." _Which is true._ Tsunayoshi-kun noticed her tense shoulders, and dropped the subject. An awkward silence ensued, _gah, I haven't talked like this in months, what do I say?_, before Elysia asked, "May I call you Tsu-kun?"

"Wha—?"

"It's just," She bulldozed on, "Tsunayoshi-kun is a little long in my opinion. Forgive me if that was too rude."

He waved his arms to placate her, "No, it's fine!" When she laughed in relief she surprised herself, because she hadn't laughed like that since—

Since Gramps.

Tsu-kun grinned sheepishly and asked, "Elysia-sempai, sorry if it's rude, but were you born in Japan?"

"Ah, it's okay," Elysia said, "I'm not Japanese at all. I-," She hesitated briefly expecting and suppressing the flash of _hurt_, "-moved here when I was younger."

_I miss home._

"So where were you born Elysia-sempai?" He asked curiously.

_Why?_

"America."

_Why did they _take _me?_

"Oh." He stopped; they had already entered the school and had reached his classroom. "Thanks for walking with me, Elysia-sempai."

"Tsu-kun, I told you, I don't mind." She smiled before taking the plunge, _if he says no then it won't be the end of the world_, "Would you mind if I walked with you to your house as well?"

Tsu-kun looked surprised, "A-ah, um, no, if you want to you can." He looked down shyly, blushing slightly. Elysia grinned enjoying the warmth that eased the deep aches in her heart, "Alright. I'll meet you at the gates after class."

He nodded, and she ruffled his hair again, "I'll see you later Tsu-kun."

"B-Bye, Elysia-sempai."

Elysia waved lazily as she walked back to her classroom. She had English now, which was all too easy, so she frequently skipped the class to go to the rooftop. It was nice to just look at the sun and the sky and the clouds and simply _exist_.

Elysia only hoped that the head prefect was busy biting people to death, because she didn't want to deal with him at the moment. Recalling Tsu-kun's cuteness she smiled, looking forward to their next meeting.

* * *

During lunch, she grabbed the two lunches she had made that morning, and quickly left the classroom. Elysia walked leisurely to the Disciplinary reception room, enjoying the quiet that surrounded the place. People were too afraid to come by here, but she had a certain _understanding _with the head prefect.

Knocking quietly on the door, she heard a baritone voice respond, "Come in."

Stepping across the threshold, Elysia smiled at Hibari. His dark eyes were always stormy, and the smirk that greeted her could have a lesser woman cringing. But Elysia dealt with that same darkness every day, for it swirled about her, and she had become immune to its aura; so she stepped up to his desk quickly, staying a respectful foot back.

"I've brought your lunch," She placed the lunch gently on the desk, "I added a few extra pastries. They're ones I've been meaning to talk to Reina-san with."

He nodded, taking the box and examining the contents. A satisfied smile crossed his face, and he said, "I'll try the new ones later. Eat here."

Elysia blinked, Hibari had never invited her to eat with him before. She couldn't stop the smile, however, from spreading across her face. Inside, the clouds were churning pleasantly, "Alright."

She took a seat on one of the plush couches, getting settled comfortably and snapped her chopsticks apart. She heard an echo of it repeated by Hibari as he set aside his paperwork to eat. They ate in near silence, only interrupted by the occasional murmur of the members of the Disciplinary Committee coming to pay their respects to their leader during lunch.

When the bell rang for students to start heading to class again, Elysia stood, wrapping her bento back up. She took Hibari's bento, and deftly wrapped it again, before setting a small bag of macadamia white chocolate chip cookies on his desk. Hibari's raised eyebrow prompted her to say, "For Kusakabe, if you could give them to him please."

"Only if you fight with me after school today."

Elysia nodded, "Alright. A little after five." It seemed that the only reason Hibari tolerated her presence was because she could fight. She shouldn't complain too much, because Hibari definitely kept her on her toes, and she needed that—_because then she could fight them, and there wouldn't be any angerpainrage_hurt_pain_—because it wouldn't do to get killed just because her skills were rusty.

His eyes narrowed, but eventually he consented with a slight dip of his head.

With a small wave she left, heading back to her classroom.

* * *

Elysia sighed in relief as the final bell rang. She gathered her things quickly, and headed out to the entrance. If there was a bounce in her step as she walked, then it certainly wasn't because she had no homework.

As she approached the gate, she saw Tsu-kun already waiting for her and again that surprisingly comforting warmth spread through her. A smile appeared on her lips and she waved as she neared him.

Tsu-kun gave a timid wave back, and greeted her with, "Good afternoon Elysia-sempai."

"Ah, good afternoon to you too Tsu-kun. Did you have a nice day?" Elysia winced because her eagerness was showing, and who wants to be reminded of a bullying incident?, "Besides your P.E. class I mean?"

He shrugged, not saying anything. Taking in the defeated slump of his shoulders, Elysia frowned.

_Please don't be because of me, pleasepleaseplease—_

Just as she was about to ask what happened, another first-year came up to sneer at Tsu-kun, "Trying to escape, No-good Tsuna?"

"E-eh? That's not—"

"Well too bad!" The boy grabbed his arm and started dragging him away, "You'll clean all by yourself."

"Wait!" Tsu-kun turned to her, "I'll see you later Elysia-sempai." Then the boy quickly left towards the gymnasium.

Elysia stood there for a moment, mercilessly squashing the disappointment curling up in her heart, humming thoughtfully. She walked after the two slowly, wondering why that boy had called Tsu-kun no good. It almost sounded like a nickname. A bad one.

She reached the gym soon, seeing Tsu-kun all alone and meekly dragging a broom across the floor. Setting her things down, she grabbed another broom from the supply closet, and went out to meet him.

His surprised exclamation, "Elysia-sempai!" made her smile.

"I figured we could hang out this way too."

"S-sempai…" He looked at her like he never received nor expected any form of kindness. She just gently ruffled his hair. With the two of them, cleaning the gym was done in no time, and it was just nearing four thirty.

They stopped at the gate, "If you still want to come over sempai—"

Elysia frowned, "I can't today. I have to be somewhere at five," She thought mentioning the prefect would scare Tsu-kun, but when a disappointed gleam entered his eyes, Elysia was quick to placate him, "But if you wouldn't mind me coming over tomorrow, I could do that."

Tsu-kun smiled, "Okay. I'll see you later then, Elysia-sempai."

She nodded, finally recognizing that warmth as _happiness_, "See you tomorrow, Tsu-kun."

They waved, and Elysia waited until she couldn't see him anymore before entering the school again. She climbed to the rooftop quickly, and as soon as she opened the door, she ducked to avoid a metal tonfa. Rolling away, she came up in a crouch, deflecting a tonfa to the face. Reaching up, she tried to jab his sternum, but Hibari jumped away, tonfas raised.

Standing fully, Elysia grabbed a hold of the pair of sai tucked into the back of her skirt, holding them out in front of her defensively. Hibari smirked before running towards her, left tonfa going for her temple, the right for her thigh. Elysia blocked both, holding the tonfa between the prongs of her sai.

She moved, ducking under Hibari's arm while releasing the right sai and jabbing him in the chest a little below his armpit. He grunted, and Elysia took advantage of the split-second stillness, spinning around with another knuckle punch to a point right above his left elbow. Hibari moved away, glaring at the limp appendage. Using his other arm, he rushed at her, too fast for her to accurately see.

Searing pain in her abdomen was her only clue that he had _hit_ her before she was thrown back. Twisting in mid-air, she landed on her feet, sliding across the roof.

The fight lasted awhile, neither giving in, but not giving their all either. This was practically training, and their endurance was increasing rapidly. Before, they would collapse after a mere thirty minutes.

Only when Hibari's tonfas, and Elysia's sais, slipped to the ground from numb fingers did they stop. Elysia slid down to her knees, and then to her back, breathing heavily. Hibari staggered over to the side of the roof and sat down with a little less grace than usual, resting against the concrete.

They sat in silence, regaining their breath. Elysia turned her head to look at Hibari, taking in his closed eyes and relaxed form. "Hibari," One dark eye opened a crack to glare at her, "Did Kusakabe like the cookies?"

He scoffed, scowling, "Yeah." She hummed thoughtfully, "And the new ones?"

Hibari shrugged, "Okay." Elysia hid her smile by putting an arm over her face. Hibari liked her cookies. Her _own_ creations, not ones that Reina-san had her make. A companionable silence ensued. Elysia lay there, staring blindly at the sky, her mind delightfully blank. Even the clouds drifted in a lazy, pleased drawl. They weren't trying to protect her; they were just _there_, on the edge of her consciousness.

"Omnivore." Elysia looked up at Hibari, who was staring intently at her, "Leave, before I bite you to death."

She blinked, "Ah." Wobbling to her feet, Elysia tucked her sai back into her skirt mentally thanking Hibari for allowing her to wear shorts under the incredibly short uniform skirts, after a fight of course, and headed for the door. She turned once, in the middle of the doorway, "Bye Hibari. See you tomorrow." She heard him grunt in goodbye, and she headed home. Hibari wanted her to go home, before either of them fell asleep on the roof. Elysia smiled faintly, knowing that both of them liked sleep a little too much.

She hurried out of the school and into the streets, keeping her head down. It was dark, and those that met gazes head-on at this time were nothing but troublemakers. The walk back to her apartment was quick, filled with baited breath.

Only once she was inside her apartment, with the door locked behind her, did Elysia release a relieved sigh. Every time she traveled at night, she was inviting the scum that lived on the streets to do—_his eyes were crazed, and he chased her like a dog on a hunt. She was sprinting, because he wasn't alone but she didn't _want_ to hurt_ _them and they were _cornering_ her—_something that would not be pleasant.

Elysia shucked off her shoes and blearily set about trying to cook something for dinner. She was starting to feel all the little, and large, aches and pains that Hibari had left in her body, and she winced as she went to bend down to get some cooking oil. Sighing, Elysia decided that her best bet would be a simple grilled cheese.

She didn't remember eating, just getting in the shower and then collapsing on the bed. Fights with Hibari always left her _tired_.


	3. Chapter 2

This is weird. I have no idea what anyone thinks of this. These first few chapters were mainly to get to know Elysia better-the next one picks up with the manga.

* * *

When Elysia woke up the next morning, she still had thirty minutes to get ready before she left for school. She decided to take her time eating, and made some toast to go along with her customary cereal. In her uniform, she hid her sai again, along with a few jackknifes. It was best to be prepared, because with her luck, _bad things_ would happen.

Elysia locked the door securely behind her, jogging down the steps from her apartment. As she was walking down the sidewalk, she saw familiar brown hair. A smile lit Elysia's face, "Tsu-kun!"

He jumped, spinning around to face her, "E-Elysia-sempai!"

"Good morning Tsu-kun, how are you?"

"I'm well t-thanks. How are you?"

"I'm good." They walked shoulder-to-shoulder down the sidewalk, conversing lightly. Elysia tried to get to know him better, shooting off questions like a machine gun, "What's your favorite color? What kind of music do you like? Do you play any games? What are your parents like?"

Tsu-kun answered to the best of his ability, putting forth some of the same questions to her when he could. "Elysia-sempai, how long have you lived here?"

"Ah," She did some figuring in her head, "Three years, I think."

"But you know the language so well!"

"There was," –_Gramps smiled, brown eyes crinkling as she mispronounced yet another word—Dark blood on the floor she had cleaned that morning, spreading in a pool around the prone body—_"a nice man who taught me everything he could."

_Not to mention,_ Elysia smiled bitterly, _the benefits of full emersion._

"Oh, I see." Tsu-kun looked at her hesitantly, before dropping the subject. They talked through the walk to Namimori, stopping only when they had to separate to go to class. Elysia couldn't wait for school to end; Tsu-kun said he was going to take her to his home.

* * *

Tsu-kun was waiting for her again at the gates, and he smiled as she approached, "Ready?"

"Yeah," she smiled back. "Let's go."

As Tsu-kun lead her to his house, Elysia kept note of the route, mentally playing out a way to get there from her apartment. It would be handy if she had to help him at some point, like she thinks he might.

Tsu-kun opened the front door wide, calling out, "Mom, I'm home! I brought a friend!"

A small woman came hurrying through the doorway from the kitchen, a smile on her face, "Tsu-kun! I didn't know you had any friends!"

Elysia blinked. Tsu-kun desperately tried to shush his mom, but she completely ignored him, "So, what's your name?" Sawada-san smiled, "And thank you for befriending my no good son."

"Ah, I'm Redwin Elysia. It's nice to meet you Sawada-san." Elysia bowed to hide her irritation that Tsu-kun's _mom _also used that _stupid_ and _untrue _nickname, and Sawada-san giggled, "Please, call me Nana."

Tsu-kun grabbed her arm, "Mom, I'm going to show Elysia-sempai my room. Can you call us for dinner?" He dragged her up the stairs, tripping once, but managing to catch himself and continue. "Here," he opened a door with a tuna fish on it.

Elysia took in the messy room, and chalked it up to the fact that he was a teenage boy.

They spent the time doing homework, Elysia helping Tsu-kun mainly, and playing video games. Dinner was a lively affair, because Tsu-kun was almost constantly flailing about, trying to keep his mom from saying embarrassing things.

She left when it was just getting dark out, waving bye to Nana and Tsu-kun, and promising to come back soon. As Elysia walked the streets, the smile on her face diminished to nothing and she made sure to keep her head down.

Elysia ignored the cat-calls from gang members, walking quickly but not running. Hearing footsteps behind her, she readied herself, _feeling_ the punch coming—_Duilio scowled at the blindfolded girl, gray eyes threatening. 'You,' he roared, 'need to _sense!_', slamming the little body into the floor—_and ducked, grabbing the outstretched arm by the wrist with her left hand, pulling forward. With her right, she jabbed at the spots above his elbow and slightly under the shoulder, deadening his arm. Using the guy's momentum, Elysia tossed him over her head.

Without looking back she took off down a nearby alley, agilely dodging various trashcans and homeless people. She heard the man's friends come after her, the less athletic cursing when they ran into the obstacles she had avoided. When Elysia saw the dead-end she bared her teeth in an imitation of a smile, and jumped up the side wall, before jumping of that and grabbing the top of the dead-end. Hauling herself up, she landed lightly on her feet on the other side, sprinting off again.

Elysia stopped when she didn't hear any signs of pursuit after a few minutes, coming out of an alley to a sidewalk. She caught her breath, and sneaked up to the opening, carefully looking left and right down the street to be sure the men were not out there. Seeing a suspiciously empty street, not even any peddlers or pedestrians, she melted back into the shadows, examining the alley. Elysia's green eyes picked out a rusty fire escape and she smiled.

Grabbing the rungs, she pulled herself to the roof, hopping over the side. The roof itself was rather bare, thankfully. Turning around, Elysia measured the distance between the roof she was on, and its neighbor. Nodding to herself, she jogged to the other end of the roof.

Taking a calming breath, she sprinted across the roof and jumped to the other, rolling with her landing. Standing up, Elysia dusted herself off, before going over to the ledge that overlooked the street. There, grouping around the end of the alley that she would have been in, were the boys that had chased her.

_Amateurs._

Victory, as seen in most novels, was something that she had long since given up on. Nowadays, victory was surviving, was _living_; Elysia herself also counted protecting her friends as victory.

_Yeah, all two of them. Hibari doesn't even need protecting._

She ran along the rooftops all the way to her apartment building. There, she hopped off the nearest roof and took the steps two at a time. Inside her apartment, her shoulders relaxed a little, because the clouds were rolling fiercely around her, thick and dark.

Elysia took a shower, in a vain attempt to get rid of the _dirt_ that clung to her. Entering her room, she flopped on her bed, afraid to shut her eyes. She didn't want to sleep, not tonight; but her eyes felt grainy and heavy, and before she knew it, her mind had fallen into a swirling blackness.

* * *

'_Ah!' she cried, trying to stop the tears from falling. Her little hands were shackled together, and the chain connecting them disappeared somewhere bad. Bad, because every time she got a question wrong, the chain would light up and her body would spasm and lock. Bad, because the questions were really hard and she didn't have enough time to study before they were pulling her away from her books and chaining her down to the _cold_, concrete ground._

'_Pathetic.' Caprice muttered, and she looked up fearfully. Caprice was mean and sounded funny, and punished her even though she didn't do anything wrong most of the time! 'You should be more tolerant. The things you'll experience in the future will be a thousand times worse.'_

_She just lowered her head, because she didn't know what she was doing here, or where her mama and papa were, and she didn't know _anything_ so why were they so _mean_—_

_She squealed as five thick books landed on her back, slamming her small body to the ground, chafing her cheek against the concrete. Caprice spoke to an invisible person, the words rolling off her tongue in a foreign manner._

_She sniffled, shifting the books off her and risking a glance at the _ugly, ugly_ lady, only to jerk back to find blue eyes _burning_ at her. Caprice took her shackles off with a quick flick of the wrist, and grabbed her before she could try to rub the raw, blistered skin. She whimpered as she was dragged into the dark corridor, toward the staircase. They went further down, _down_, and she realized Caprice was taking her to see that man with the funny name that she couldn't say. The man who was powerful and strong and who hurt her to make _her_ powerful and strong. He was scary, but he wasn't mean. Just, she struggled to find the word, blank? He didn't do anything other than show her how to hurt others, and sometimes that meant being mean, but not as mean as Caprice… Rough, her mind supplied, and she nodded, that man was _rough.

_They were reaching the door to that big open spot the rough-man was in. Caprice pushed it open and snarled, 'Gualtiero.'_

_The man turned, brown eyes flat. Then he spoke in that foreign way that all the people she met here did, and Caprice just growled something and shoved her towards him. She stumbled, and fell to her knees before him. The door slammed shut, the noise echoing in the large space._

_Rough-man sighed, 'Get up. Caprice is not satisfied with your progress. We'll have to train harder, more vigorously now.'_

_She made a face, wondering what that one word meant. Vig-er-us-ly? _

_A strangled noise came out of her throat as he picked her up by the back of her shirt and placed her on her feet._

'_Assume position number one.' She took the stance, starting to feel the first trembles of fear shake her body as rough-man took the same stance in front of her._

'_This is going to hurt, isn't it?' Her voice rasped from her earlier screaming, and she licked her chapped lips nervously._

_His eyes were steady as he looked at her, 'Yes,' he murmured, 'it will.' He moved, and all she felt was _pain.

* * *

Elysia jerked awake, blinking in the pre-dawn light. She groaned, scrubbing a hand across her face. As far as nightmares—_memories_, part of her mind whispered—go, that one was tame and relatively harmless. Elysia knew she would probably have one, what with all the action last night, but she thought it would be more damaging. In this, it was nice to be proven wrong.

She got ready quickly, eating an apple before grabbing her MP3 player and going out for a morning run. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays were spent this way, another training exercise to keep her sharp for Hibari.

It also helped her parkour skills, and Elysia leaped onto the top of the back of a bench, running across it. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she had to pivot quickly to avoid a classmate of hers—Sasagawa Ryohei. He shouted an 'EXTREME' greeting to her, and she waved to him in response.

Five miles later, Elysia slipped into her apartment and headed to her meditation room. Going through her kata was practically a reflex, and she concentrated on her breathing. A few muscle building exercises and stretching later and she was finally done. Elysia took another quick shower, doing her hair quickly before eating cereal and heading to school, looking forward to meeting with Tsu-kun and seeing Hibari.

In this way, she passed the first month of her second-year at Namimori Middle. She would train with Hibari, work at Reina-san's, give experimental pastries to Hibari and Tsu-kun to try, and she became good friends with Tsu-kun. The two were still her only 'friends' and she liked it. Tsu-kun was even starting to influence her personality, slowly combating the over-populated clouds that permeated her life. Better, Elysia was _allowing_ it to happen.

Elysia was content with her life for the first time since she was eight, and she dared to hope that the rest of her life might be similar.

She should have known better.


	4. Chapter 3

Now the fun begins. The manga starts here.

* * *

Elysia rocked back and forth on her heels, waiting for Tsu-kun to run out of the house. It had become normal for her to walk with him in the mornings, and it was good for Tsu-kun because he usually got up on time now.

The sound of the door opening made Elysia turn, and she giggled as he came stumbling out of his house. He glanced up sharply at the noise, and jogged over to her, grabbing her wrist as he exited the gate. Tsu-kun dragged her down the sidewalk, and Elysia could only blink in confusion.

"Tsu-kun…?"

"Ahaha," Tsu-kun's laugh was forced, "Don't worry about it." She was about to ask him what was wrong, when Elysia _felt_ the presence right beside them.

Instincts reacted without her conscience consent and she grabbed Tsu-kun to yank him behind her, her right hand going to her thigh to grab the knife there.

"Ciaossu." Those eyes did _not_ belong to that body.

She ignored Tsu-kun spluttering behind her, and stared at the little baby who spoke, knife raised in defense, "What are you here for?"

_Not for her._

He pointed to Tsu-kun, "To train him."

Elysia's knuckles were turning white from the grip on her knife, "What _for_?"

"To be the tenth Vongola Boss."

_Vongola._

The world darkened around the edges, and she could barely breathe out, "_What?"_

The baby just repeated himself again, staring at her with intense black eyes. Elysia felt like her world was crumbling, because innocent little Tsu-kun was picked out to be a _Mafia Boss_ and this _baby_ was going to teach him, and Tsu-kun would have to go through 'training' that would be _worse_ than her own. She couldn't let that happen, just couldn't, because Tsu-kun was her friend and she had vowed to protect him and how could she do that when a _hitman_ had decided to _train_ him?—

Elysia growled, her alto voice even gruffer than normal, "Does Tsu-kun _want_ to be the Tenth?"

Behind her, Tsu-kun was gaping, "Wha-what—"

"Of course he does." The answer was spoken in a matter-of-fact tone, and her eyes narrowed. Elysia spoke to Tsu-kun, never looking away from those eyes, "Tsu-kun, do you want to be a Mafia Boss?"

There was a silence in which she assumed Tsu-kun was staring at her in shock, before he replied, "N-No!"

"He has no choice," The baby stated, still looking at her. Elysia forced herself to keep her face straight, because he could probably _hurt_ her very badly and said, "There is _always_ a choice."

"Unfortunately," She could _see_ the knowledge behind those eyes, that he _knew_ what kind of decision he was forcing on Tsu-kun, and she relaxed just the slightest bit, "_He_ does not have a choice."

Elysia stared at him, realizing that she could not win, neither in a physical nor verbal fight. She inclined her head to him, and replaced her knife in its thigh holder. "What's your name?" She asked.

"Reborn." Elysia _almost_ chocked on her spit. As it was, she just wheezed, "_That_ Reborn?"

"Yeah." Although his face didn't change, Elysia could _hear_ the arrogance dripping off the word.

"What are you two saying so casually?" Tsu-kun wailed, apparently having gotten over his shock.

"Shut up, No-Good Tsuna." Reborn replied, punching Tsu-kun in the face.

_When did he move?_

"Ow!" Tsu-kun rubbed the spot on his face, tears in his eyes. Elysia helped him up from the ground, eyeing Reborn wearily.

"Can we just leave?" Tsu-kun looked up at her so pathetically that Elysia could only nod, and follow him down the street, Reborn trailing after them.

Just as they were about to turn a corner, Tsu-kun gasped and made himself one with the wall. Elysia peed around it.

_Ah, Sasagawa Kyoko._

She blinked as Reborn walked past her, and in front of Sasagawa-san. The girl squealed slightly and kneeled down to his level, "How cute!"

"Ciaossu." Tsu-kun twitched.

"Why are you wearing a suit?" Sasagawa-san asked.

"Because I'm in the Mafia." Reborn promptly replied. Elysia just looked on in amusement, _Because who would take what a _baby_ says seriously?_, before turning to Tsu-kun to try and knock him out of his comatose state.

Sasagawa-san made a noise of appreciation, "How cool!"

Tsu-kun twitched again, seeming to come back to life. "Well," She said, "Good luck. Bye bye!"

Reborn waved to her, "Ciao Ciao," then he turned to Tsu-kun and smirked, "Mafia seduction."

"WHAT?" Tsu-kun yelled. Elysia chortled, covering her face with a hand.

"You have a crush on that girl, right Tsuna?" Reborn asked, causing Tsu-kun to scowl at him.

"Is that any of your business?"

"I've mastered the art of mind reading." Elysia smiled at the bickering, helping Tsu-kun up when Reborn nailed him again.

"Have you told her yet?"

"Of course not!" He replied, "Kyoko is our school's idol. I'm way out of her league, so it's useless to confess my feelings."

"That loser complex is amazing."

"Leave me alone." Tsu-kun mumbled, depressed by the statement. Elysia spared a moment to dwell on the moroseness before starting to try to cheer him up, only to be frozen solid at the sight of Reborn pointing a gun at Tsu-kun.

"Go die."

And then the gun went off—_Pain exploding in her shoulder, and she landed in a pool of blood. Not hers. Dead brown eyes gazed at her. Gramps. Dead. Gramps. Dead. Grampsisdeadit'sallmyfault—_and the scream that wanted to rip out of her throat was forced back as she tried to focus on the situation.

_Why?_

Why had Reborn shot Tsu-kun, when he had just told her that he wouldn't do anything to kill him? Why was Reborn just standing there, not even looking concerned about her presence? Why was he staring so _intently_ at Tsu-kun's body, when it would never move again?

And then Tsu-kun popped out of his body in his underwear and ran off shouting, "CONFESS TO KYOKO WITH MY DYING WILL!"

Elysia looked after him blankly, _What?_

Finally, it registered that Tsu-kun was alive, that he was chasing after Sasagawa Kyoko to confess in nothing but his underwear, and that it was all _Reborn's fault._

She glared at the baby, before running after Tsu-kun, swooping down to grab Reborn as well. "What did you just do?"

Reborn smirked from his position atop her head and said, "I shot him with a Dying Will Bullet."

"Which is…?"

"If he is regretting something when he dies, he comes back to life with his dying will to take care of his regret."

Elysia glanced up at him, "You're going to destroy the serenity in my life aren't you?"

"Probably." Completely unapologetic.

She just continued to run, grieving for the loss of her contentment.

* * *

When Elysia reached Namimori, she was just in time to see Sasagawa-san run off and Mochida-san wind back to punch Tsu-kun.

She stepped in to grab his fist before it landed, "Please, do not hit my friends, Mochida-san." He scowled at her, "The pervert made Kyoko cry!"

Elysia kept silent and didn't let go of his hand until he gave her a resigned nod, chasing after Sasagawa-san. She turned to give a _look_ to the people who were watching them, and everyone quickly pretended they hadn't seen a thing. Sometimes, being close to the Head of the Disciplinary Committee came in handy.

"Tsu-kun, are you alright?" She asked worriedly, part of her still not believing he was still alive. She hovered over him, checking his body for injuries.

"I'm fine, Elysia-sempai." Tsu-kun answered, looking uncomfortable with her attention. She hummed doubtfully, but left him alone. Together, they went to the nurses' to get Tsu-kun an extra uniform, and she walked him back to his class, ruffling his hair. "I'll see you later Tsu-kun."

Elysia waited for a moment, wincing at the jeers he received from his classmates before turning to her own classroom. Hibari was waiting for her at the door, standing nonchalantly against its frame.

"Ah, Hibari," Elysia greeted, "Is there something I can do for you?"

"What happened this morning with Sawada Tsunayoshi?" Was his curt question, and she sighed before answering, "Hibari, I think that the peace in Namimori may be in danger."

"What." A statement, both the tone and the stormy blue eyes demanding she explain _right now_.

"A baby has come that will make things… difficult for Tsu-kun," like always, he scowled at the nickname, "which will probably lead to a kind of chaos."

Hibari inclined his head in acknowledgement, standing up fully. He turned away from her, "I'll bite anyone to death if they disturb the peace in Namimori. Omnivore, keep an eye on your _friend,_" He said the word with distaste, "Because if you're with him when this chaos happens,_ both_ of you will be bitten to death."

"Hibari," He paused, "I have new cookies for you to try."

Hibari looked over his shoulder with a smirk, "Bring them."

Elysia nodded, smiling as he walked away. Maybe things were looking up after all.

She opened the door to the classroom, apologizing for her lateness, explaining that it was because of Hibari (everyone flinched at his name), and taking a seat, eagerly waiting for lunch.

Elysia was looking out the window when the bell for lunch rang, and she grabbed the lunch she had packed and quickly walked to the reception room. She opened the door without knocking, seeing Hibari writing at his desk, "Hibari."

He glanced up, and nodded to her, pointing to the sofa with his pen. Elysia placed both boxes down and waited patiently for Hibari to finish the form he was on. For some reason, the Disciplinary Committee always had a lot of paperwork. She had a vague notion that part of it was probably because of their violent tendencies.

Elysia looked up when Hibari plopped down across from her, unwrapping his own bento carefully. She blinked, because he had never eaten with her before. But Hibari ignored her raised eyebrow and picked up his chopsticks.

Elysia shrugged, if Hibari wanted to eat with her, then who was she to stop him? The silence that usually surrounded them was replaced with an expectant air, and Elysia finished her bento quicker than normal. She looked at everything but Hibari when she was done, examining the reception room for the nth time.

When Hibari laid his chopsticks down and looked at her, Elysia met his gaze curiously. For some reason, he smirked at her, and then leaned back on the sofa, arms spread out across the back. Elysia almost groaned aloud. He wanted to play the waiting game, which meant her basically sitting in silence trying to wait patiently and him lounging back, taking his sweet old time in telling her whatever it was that was on his mind.

They both ignored the bell when it rang for classes to begin again, and when Kusakabe came to check up on his leader, he just quietly closed the door without saying anything after taking a look inside.

Elysia sat there for what felt like forever, and finally Hibari deigned to answer her unspoken question.

"Omnivore."

"Yes, Hibari?"

"This afternoon, Mochida will be challenging Sawada Tsunayoshi to a kendo match." He smiled at her spluttering, "If there is too much crowding, _everyone_ will be bitten to death, and I will hold you partly responsible."

Elysia scowled, because at one point after Hibari had threatened Tsu-kun she had, at her wit's end with the amount of _trouble_ the boy got into, told him that she would take the beatings for Tsu-kun whenever he did something wrong. Hibari had frowned at her for a moment, before smirking and telling her that Tsu-kun was now her _responsibility_.

She sighed, "Thanks for telling me," Hibari had irritated her, so it was only fair to annoy him back, right? "Kyouya." She immediately left, grinning when she saw his shoulders twitch before the door slid closed.

But now Elysia had to deal with Mochida-san, and that was not something she was looking forward to. The boy was lucky that he wasn't in her class, because she would have had _words_ with him. She still would, of course, but it was easier to cut the problem off before it became too troublesome.

Sighing, she decided to take the long way to her class room, hoping to think of something besides pummeling Mochida-san to stop him from whatever it was he was planning. But when the final bell rang, signaling the end of classes, Elysia scowled. Figures that Hibari would have kept her there for so long. He was probably going to use it as an excuse to 'bite her to death' later on.

Elysia turned on her heel and headed to the gymnasium. She could hear the crowd before she saw the building, and her green eyes widened when she saw just how many people there were. Elysia pushed through the crowd until she got to the front, where she heard Mochida-san shout, "The prize of course, is Sasagawa Kyoko!"

"What?" Elysia looked at him blankly; too disturbed to even go after Tsu-kun as he snuck away. Sasagawa-san didn't seem very happy about it either, and her friend had to hold her back when she tried to go after Mochida-san.

She heard the crowd mumbling about his suspicious behavior, and Elysia slipped through the people to stand by Sasagawa-san.

Elysia murmured a greeting to the girl, and she spun around in surprise, "Ah!"

Sasagawa-san's friend gazed at her through lidded eyes, "Who are you?"

"She's Elysia-sempai," Here, Sasagawa-san looked to her for confirmation, "right? You're in Nii-san's class."

"Ah." Elysia nodded, and the other girl spoke again, "I'm Hana, and aren't you the girl that always hangs around Tsuna?"

"Yeah, he's a good friend of mine." Elysia said, jumping when the door to the gym slammed open.

"Ready!" Tsu-kun stood there, in his boxers again, "Fight!"

_Reborn. Again._

The crowd reacted normally to it, with many 'Pervert!'s ringing out, and Elysia tried to slide over to him, but was rendered immobile by all the people. She sighed, because she was sure that Hibari considered this seriously overcrowded, and he was bound to show up at some point. And then _she_ would have to fight him.

Tsu-kun bypassed the Kendo club members trying to give him his armor, sprinting at Mochida-san. The older boy laughed, "Only an idiot would run in naked!"

He raised the shinai high and cracked Tsu-kun in the head with it. Elysia twitched, itching to protect her friend, but Tsu-kun head-butted through the bamboo sword and slammed his forehead against Mochida-san's. They tumbled to the ground.

He then proceeded to pull out every hair on Mochida-san's head, turning to the ref with a "Zembu-pon!" Elysia grinned as the crowd cheered for her friend, and she moved to congratulate him herself when Sasagawa-san beat her to it. Knowing that Tsu-kun would be slightly preoccupied, she went on a hunt to find Reborn, because he was sure to be near.

Elysia found the baby when he popped out of a fire-extinguisher, and he greeted her joyfully, "Ciaossu, Elysia."

"Reborn," She said back, "Do these bullets have any side-affects?"

He just stared at her with his creepily intense eyes, "Why do you ask?"

Elysia snorted, "Please. Do you really expect me to think that a bullet that can give a person an incredibly large amount of power has no other affects, especially negative ones? There is a downside to _everything_."

"Perhaps the Dying Will Bullet is an exception."

"Or perhaps not." She said dryly. When she was met with silence, she said, "Reborn, if that bullet didn't have anything dangerous associated with it, the Vongola would definitely have more people using it as a weapon."

He narrowed his eyes at her, "What do _you_ know about the Vongola?"

"A disturbingly small amount," Elysia muttered, "for having my best friend in line for being the next _Boss_."

_And, the Vongola were always secretive. They guarded everything heavily. At least, that's what I gathered from Caprice's frustration._

Reborn hummed thoughtfully, "Don't worry about it."

"Not until you tell me what could happen."

"Why?"

"'_Why?'_" Elysia repeated exasperatedly, "Am I not supposed to be concerned about Tsu-kun?"

"You're not part of his family; his well-being is _not_ your concern." Reborn replied, staring straight into her eyes."

Elysia suppressed a snarl, "_Don't you dare tell me who to care about._"

Reborn merely smirked, "Then join him and it won't be a problem."

She flinched—_Arnaud gazed at her with dispassionate eyes, "You will join my familiga, and you _will not_ be a burden to us."—_and tried to hide it behind her black hair.

"Reborn, I'm not sure I can do that."

_I _never _wanted _anything_ to do with the Mafia. Why else would I risk leaving?_

"Then Tsuna is none of your concern." And those eyes _burned_ at her. Reborn walked away, leaving her to her thoughts.

Elysia scowled and headed to the school gates, waiting for Tsu-kun. She walked home with him, studiously ignoring Reborn's gaze and talking with Tsu-kun, whose puppy love was showing. When she got to her apartment, she sat down in her meditation room and faced the decision head-on.

Join, and be chained to the Mafia forever, and lose the freedom that she had _bled_ for- that _others_ had bled and probably _died_ for. Or she could keep that freedom, and leave Tsu-kun to fend for himself against the Mafia and all the consequences associated with such a life, when _he_ didn't even want to be in the Mafia in the first place. Would she leave him to be hurt and alone in a world were dying in a blaze of gunfire wasn't _glorious_but the _norm_?

Elysia laughed, covering her face with one hand as tears gathered in her eyes but did not fall. She laughed for a long time, and even to her own ears it was _not_ a nice sound.

That night, she did not dream.


End file.
